Pittsburgh City Council has advanced legislation that would increase the city’s realty transfer tax from 4 percent to 4.5 percent in 2018.

The money garnered from the tax is expected to go toward the affordable housing trust fund, also known as the Housing Opportunity Trust Fund, which was approved by council last December. It is also expected to supply the fund with $10 million annually for the next five years to build housing and rehabilitate older homes for those who qualify under low-income standards.

A coalition of Pittsburgh City Council members may have found a way to partially fill its Affordable Housing Opportunity Trust Fund, provide funding for early childhood education in the city, and offset a proposed hike in the real estate transfer tax with a package of budget amendments.